Wizardnet Love
by x Kate Alone x
Summary: Two Hogwarts students meet over the wizardnet. Neither of them know who the other is, but slowly begin to fall for eachother. Will they reveal their true identities?
1. Welcome to the wizardnet

I own nothing! I own nothing! I own nothing!

...

Now just to let you all know before I begin, there has been a new invention at Hogwarts: The wizardnet! With this magical invention, came the dawn of instant messaging through the use of enchanted parchment. The witch or wizard simply writes the m-mail (magic mail) addresses at the top of the parchment and then begins to write. For example...

To: FireGirl-wizardnet (The recipient would be written at the top)

From: SnitchBoy-wizardnet (The sender would be written below)

SnitchBoy says: Hey! (The sender would write a message with a quill, and the message would instantly disappear on to reappear on the recipients enchanted parchment, making it beep to alert the recipient)

There is also the chat room option to talk to a random Hogwarts student. To enter the chat room, the witch or wizard simply writes the word 'chat' and the top of the parchment followed by their m-mail address at the top of the page. For example...

Chat: FireGirl-wizardnet (This would be written at the top)

A list of online students would then appear. For example...

Online students: SnitchBoy-wizardnet

BookWorm-wizardnet

ChessKing-wizardnet

The witch or wizard would simple tick the name of the person they wish to chat to in order to be 'connected'.

And so the instant messaging began! Enjoy!

...

I just wanted to explain all the confusing stuff before I begin, if there is anything that doesn't make sense then feel free to email for more information me or just to tell me this sucks! The first proper chapter will be up tomorrow!


	2. What's the worst that could happen?

I own nothing! I own nothing! I own nothing!

...

"Miss Granger, I believe you are up next," Said Professor Binns in his usual monotone voice, "What is your chosen topic?"

"The discrimination of elves throughout wizarding history, Sir," Replied Hermione, who was eager to start.

The class had been set homework to prepare a speech on their chosen subject to do with history of magic. Hermione immediately chose elf rights, having felt very strongly on the subject ever since her fourth year. Now she was in her sixth year, she still despised those who mistreated elves.

"You have two minutes," He said, stifling a yawn, "Begin."

"Throughout history, elves have been subject to abuse from their so called 'masters'."

Hermione paused and looked around. Not surprisingly, the whole class was dozing with their heads on their desks. Ron had his elbow on the desk, propping up his head with one hand, his mouth open and drooling slightly. Harry was sitting up straight; however his head lolled backwards in his deep sleep.

"Surely," Continued Hermione, slightly pissed off that nobody was paying any attention, "elves have the right to wages and sick leave, the same way humans do. Yet over thousands of years, they have been imprisoned like slaves."

She looked up from her notes and took a breath when to her horror she noticed Professor Binns was snoring softly.

"Great," She muttered to the sleeping class, "Just perfect."

She still had another minute to fill before the timer pinged and awoke everyone, but there was just no point. Nobody cared what she said... so she decided to ramble on.

"Well," She said, "I could strip off my clothes, reveal that under these robes I'm actually just wearing underwear covered in glow in the dark, neon body paint and do the macarena on top of my desk."

Still, not a single person in the class stirred.

"Now I know what you're all thinking," She went on, "Neon colours are sooo last year. But I think they add a certain je ne sais quoi to my underwear ensemble. It's true that the paint is hell to get off in the shower but I really think that-"

The timer pinged loudly making everyone jump out of their slumber.

"Well done, Miss Granger," Said the Professor, "That was very enlightening."

"Thank you, Sir," Said Hermione as she sat back down, internally sniggering at the speech her classmates has missed.

"Mr Weasley, your turn."

Ron, whose eyes had already glazed over glanced up. His elbow slipped off the desk and he snorted loudly.

"Huh?" He said stupidly.

Hermione tutted and rolled her eyes just as the bell went, signalling the end of class.

"Saved by the bell," Murmured Harry as they packed up their belongings.

"Tell me about it," Said Ron yawning widely, "Great speech by the way Hermione."

"Oh as if you heard a word of it!" Snapped Hermione, "You were asleep the whole way through!"

"Just daydreaming actually," Replied Ron, a sneaky grin spreading across his face, "I know it had something to do with underwear and glow in the dark body paint."

Hermione blushed as Harry roared with laughter.

"Next time, don't be so sure that I never listen in class," Said Ron, chuckling as he swung his bag over his shoulder.

...

"Ahem," Said Dumbledore, clearing is throat in a very Umbridge-like fashion in an attempt to get the attention of his pupils.

The Great Hall was packed full of students finishing their dinner and chatting away happily. Whether it was on purpose or not, Professor Dumbledore was being completely and utterly ignored.

Once again he made a bid for attention, "Quiet down please."

Yet again, the students continued to chat.

His eyes twinkling, he rolled up the sleeve of his midnight blue robes and pushed his half moon spectacles up his nose. Pulling out his wand, he stood up and cast a few fire crackers up above the four tables.

Silence immediately fell as the loud explosions echoed around the hall.

"Now that I have your attention, I'd like to make an announcement," He said calmly, sitting back down on his chair.

Everyone sat up a little straighter on the wooden benches, paying close attention. When Dumbledore made announcements they were, more often than not, very important.

"The muggleborns among us will be aware of something called the internet and instant messaging."

There were a few murmurs of understanding from the muggleborns, including Hermione.

"He's finally lost it," She muttered under her breath to Ron and Harry, who were both sitting opposite her, "Everyone knows the internet wouldn't work around Hogwarts. There's too much magic in the air! He's lost his marbles!"

"Actually Miss Granger, I am still the owner of the majority of my marbles," Said Dumbledore, making Hermione blush a violent shade of red.

"That man has bloody good hearing," Whispered Ron in amazement.

"He really does Mr Weasley, "Said the Headmaster, making Ron blush even redder than Hermione, "Now if I may continue?"

Ron and Hermione nodded their heads, still incredibly embarrassed as Harry sniggered quietly.

"As I was saying, the muggles use the internet to communicate with one another almost instantly. Now we all know that we wizards and witches can just send an owl or a patronus, but owls take days to deliver a message, and even the most accomplished wizards and witches struggle to create a patronus, let alone make it send a message."

A few people glanced at Harry, knowing that he was one of the youngest wizards who had successfully cast the patronus charm.

"The ministry has come up with a magical version of the internet. It has been... ahem imaginatively... named the wizardnet."

Dumbledore paused for a minute as interested murmurs and whispers spread around the Great Hall.

"I will leave the rest for your house prefects to explain" – Hermione proudly sat up a little straighter – "and they will hand out the necessary equipment. Now, off you all go to your dormitories, I'm sure you can't wait to explore this fantastic addition to wizarding inventions."

And with a nod of his head, he dismissed the excited students, who all rushed off as fast as they could.

...

"Okay, listen up Gryffindors," Shouted Hermione over the loud chattering in the common room, "I need to explain about the wizardnet parchment. Excuse me!"

Nobody paid the slightest bit of attention to her as she stood helplessly in the middle of the room, clutching a large stack of parchment.

"Oi prats!" Bellowed Ron, getting up from the sofa to stand beside her, "Shut your mouths and listen to her!"

Surprised by Ron's outburst, everyone was silent immediately. Everyone except...

"Awwww ickle Ronniekins is standing up for Hermione," Cooed Fred.

"Does Ronniekins wuv Hermione?" Said George in an equally annoying tone.

Ron went a rather impressive shade of purple and leapt at his brothers.

"Anyway," Said Hermione timidly as the three boys wrestled in the corner, "I need to hand out this parchment to you all. You all get one each and you can't lose it; it's going to cost you ten galleons to replace if you do."

"What's it for?" Asked Dean as he helped her hand them around.

"Basically, you all need to choose an m-mail address and register it with me so I can send them to the ministry so they can keep it on their date base. An m-mail address is what you will use to communicate with each other over the wizardnet."

Blank, confused faces stared back at her, clearly not understanding what she was talking about. Hermione sighed exasperatedly and continued.

"Each of you will have a unique m-mail address, no two are the same," She said, "To send a message to somebody you simply find out what their m-mail address is and write theirs, followed by yours, at the top of your enchanted parchment. You then proceed to write a message which will be sent straight to the recipient's parchment, alerting them by beeping like a mobile phone."

"What's a mobile phone?" Asked Neville.

"Ummm never mind," Said Hermione, not wanting to make things more complicated than they already were, "It's the same as writing a letter, only it's instant. Each time you write a sentence it will disappear on your parchment so you'll never run out of space."

Everyone seemed to understand her so she moved on to the final part.

"There is also a chat option. You simply write 'chat' followed by your m-mail address at the top of the parchment. This will log you into the wizardnet system and will show you who else is available online to chat with. You tick the address of the person you want to chat with (you may or may not know who they are depending on whether you recognise the m-mail address) and the instant messaging will begin. Does everyone understand?"

Most people nodded so she took that as a general 'yes'.

"Excellent," She said cheerfully as she gave out the last of the parchment. I'll put a sheet of paper up so you can register you m-mail addresses on the notice board. Make sure you've signed it by tomorrow morning because I'm sending it off at 11.00am."

...

So what do you think about this wizardnet stuff?" Ginny asked her best friend, Luna, as people rushed to swarm the notice board.

"It's quite clever really," She said in her soft, dreamy voice, "I wonder if it'll catch on."

"Probably," Said Ginny," Hermione said that muggles are addicted to instant messaging so I don't see any reason why we won't like it."

"I don't know," Replied Luna, "I can't help but feel it's going to cause some problems."

"Oh please Luna," Laughed Ginny, getting up from the sofa to write her name on the list, "What's the worst that could happen?"

...

Sorry that chapter was a bit slow but there's just so much explaining to do before I can get into the swing of things. Next chapter up soon! Please read and review!


	3. The groupies

Disclaimer: I own nothing! I own nothing! I own nothing!

...

"Did you two remember to put down your m-mail addresses on the sheet I put on the notice board?" Asked Hermione as she sat down next to Harry and Ron, who were hungrily tucking into their breakfast, "It needed to be done by 11 and it's now half past."

Harry and Ron froze, dropped their cutlery and exchanged gormless looks.

"I told you to remind me!" Ron yelled at harry, standing up suddenly.

"It's not my job to remind you" Harry snapped angrily, also rising from the bench to face Ron, "I said we should do it last night. You were the one who said we could do it in the morning!"

"Yeah well you said-"

Hermione smirked and began pouring herself some coffee.

"Honestly," She said in an exasperated tone, interrupting the bickering pair, "you two are the most disorganised buffoons I've ever met. Luckily for you I predicted your stupidity and did it for you."

Harry and Ron slowly sank back into their seats and immediately resumed stuffing their faces.

"So what did you pick?" Asked Harry as he observed Ron attempting to force an entire sausage into his mouth.

"Well I went for something that you both enjoy doing so you would remember it. Harry, you're SnitchBoy and Ron, you're ChessKing."

"What!" Spluttered Harry, "Why is he a King and I'm just boy!"

"Because I'm more manly than you," Said Ron, grinning widely as he triumphantly gulped down the sausage, "I mean come on, have you seen these guns?"

He rolled up his sleeves and began making muscle poses.

"You're only King because it's a chess piece and I thought it fitted well, now put those puny biceps away Ronald."

Still smirking smugly, Ron rolled down his sleeves.

"So what's yours then?" Asked Harry, still mildly peeved at Hermione's description of him being a mere boy.

"Unfortunately Lavender and Parvatie got there before me and decided they would try and be funny. I'm now stuck with BookWorm as it was done in permanent ink and I couldn't change it without removing the entire list."

The two boys snorted and tried to cover their amusement.

Hermione shook her head, waved her sniggering friends goodbye and headed off to the library.

"She so wants me." Muttered Ron after they'd recovered.

"What are you on about?"

"She called me a King mate. What more evidence do I need?"

"Ron, she also called you a buffoon, stupid and puny all within the last five minutes."

But Ron wasn't listening; he was once again concentrating on scooping as much scrambled egg onto his fork as possible.

Harry shook his head and returned to his own breakfast. He was so used to the casual flirting between Ron and Hermione that it was no longer out of the ordinary. He just wished the pair would stop dodging the subject and get together already.

...

So Hermione will have sent the m-mail list off by now won't she," Said Ginny as she and Luna relaxed by the Lake, watching the Giant Squid propel itself across the surface.

"Yes, I saw her take the list down this morning," Luna replied in her dreamy voice, only half listening as she finished a cross word in her new edition of _The Quibbbler_.

"What name did you choose?" Asked Ginny, "Hermione suggested FireGirl. To match my hair as well my temper according to her, so I just went with that."

"CrumpleHornedSnorkackHunter" Said Luna, without looking up from the magazine, "Hermione suggested we choose something that interests us so we could remember it, so I though this fitted nicely."

"Right... okay" Said Ginny, raising her eyebrows.

Knowing that whilst Luna had _The Quibbler_ in her hands she wouldn't be one for good conversation, Ginny retrieved the parchment Hermione had given her from her bag. Not yet knowing anyone elses addressed, she decided to try out the chat mode.

She dipped her quill in some ink and wrote across the top of the parchment.

_Chat: FireGirl-wizardnet_

Immediately after she finished, a list of addresses appeared below.

_Online Students: LeprechaunMan-wizardnet_

_SnitchBoy-wizardnet_

_LemondropLover-wizardnet_

_Gred-wizardnet_

_Forge-wizardnet_

_ChaserChick-wizardnet_

_ILikeToads-wizardnet_

_WestHamSupporter-wizardnet_

_SlytherinPrincess-wizardnet_

_FerretFucker-wizardnet_

Ginny scanned through the list, smiling every now and then at the odd choice of names.

"It's interesting, trying to figure out who might be who," Ginny commented, only getting a distracted nod in reply from Luna.

"Well Gred and Forge will be Fred and George, I wonder which one is which," Ginny said, more to herself than to Luna, "SyltherinPrincess? Well someone's a bit up themself. WestHamSupporter – typical Dean always on about football... whatever that is. Wait a minute - FerretFucker!"

"Ferret what?" Spluttered Luna in sudden surprise, dropping her quill into the dark waters of the lake.

"Ha! I have a feeling I know who that might be?" Ginny laughed as Luna rifled through her bag for another quill."

She put a little tick next to the name, and watched in amazement as all the writing on the parchment disappeared. New words quickly wrote themselves across the top.

_Connected to FerretFucker_

Ginny grinned and wrote out a message.

_FireGirl: Nice name Malfoy. Who knew that your little run in with Professor Moody two years ago would result in a ferret fetish. _

_FerretFucker: This wasn't personal choice, some little git got there before me and I can't change it now. So if you know what's good for you, you'll piss off._

_Firegirl: There's nothing to be ashamed of Malfoy. Your willingness to broadcast your sexual preferences to the wizarding world is admirable._

_FerretFucker: Shut up! If I ever find out who you are you're going down!_

_Firegirl: Ohhhh what are you going to do? Set your ferrets on me?_

_FerretFucker: That's it! Who are you? Or are you too cowardly to face me?_

_Firegirl: Of course I'm scared; anyone who molests poor innocent ferrets is seriously twisted! Adios FerretFucker!_

Ginny then crossed out the line that said "_Connected to FerretFucker_"resulting in her parchment being wiped, once again appearing blank.

"This is seriously cool," Murmured Ginny, a cheeky grin spreading across her face.

...

Harry crossed out yet another sentence in his potions essay, desperately trying to think of something intelligent to say about pollyjuice potion – the production and transformation process.

Harry and Ron had been sitting in the Library for the past hour, attempting to complete the essay that was due in the next day, knowing that they were clearly getting nowhere.

"You'd think this would be a piece of cake, wouldn't you?" Said Ron from across the table as he crumpled up his third piece of paper and throwing it over his shoulder, "I mean, what with us having brewed our own batch in our second year this should be easy!"

"Yeah but writing about it without giving the impression that you have firsthand experience in the potion is harder than it sounds," Sighed Harry, massaging his temples with his fingers, "You can't mention the whole 'agonizing, blinding pain that makes you wish you were dead' part, because funnily enough the textbooks seem to skim over that aspect."

"I know, it's just so - " Suddenly Ron broke off as a giggle was heard from behind the nearest book shelf, "Oh bloody hell, not again. You're ruddy fan club is back."

"What? Where?" Said Harry in a panicked rush, ducking his head behind a textbook, hiding himself from view.

"Too late mate, they've hunted you down yet again. Behind the bookshelf on your left."

Harry peaked around his book and sure enough, four or five girls were clustered, trying (and failing) to conceal themselves in order to spy on him.

"Shhhh, I think he's looking!" Whispered one.

"Move over, let me see!" Hissed another.

He groaned and sunk down into his chair. It seemed that everywhere he went these days resulted in being stalked by different groups of girls. Every guys dream, one might think. But no, Harry was fed up of being constantly followed, bugged and spied upon. There wasn't a single placed in Hogwarts that he could go where people wouldn't stare or whisper or giggle. He thought by the time he'd reached his 6th year the attention might have worn off. Wrong. If anything if had got steadily worse, to a point where it was really beginning to get to him.

Ron glanced at Harry, and seeing how distressed he was decided to go and talk to what could only be described as Harry's groupies.

"Right girls," He said as he popped his head round the corner of the book case causing all five of them to jump, "What can we do for you?"

They appeared to be third years, none of which he recognised. Each of them wore an expression of surprised shock before collapsing in girly giggles once again.

"In that case may I suggest in the politest possible way that you bloody piss the hell off," Snarled Ron as the girls scattered away as fast as they could.

Ron nodded smugly and went back to the table to join Harry, who was repeatedly banging his head of the table.

"All sorted mate," Said Ron, picking up his quill, "They won't be back for a while."

Harry glanced up, "Yeah, but that's the thing. They'll be back at some point. And if it isn't them it's someone else. They won't leave me alone!"

"C'mon, there's worse things than having girls follow you around everywhere," Muttered Ron, trying to keep the jealous tones out of his voice.

"No Ron, there isn't. They aren't even girls who _like_ me, they just hear the famous name and go crazy. I can't take it. It's cracking me up. I don't even know who my friends are. Whether people genuinely want to know, or just want an autograph."

"Well you can count on me never asking for one," Replied Ron, grinning and winking, "You're my best mate, but you're not that special. Slim of me following you around begging for a date either."

"Thanks Ron," Said Harry, smiling feebly as he gathered his books and unfinished essay, "I just need some space for a while. Need to clear my head."

Ron nodded, not really listening as he tried to focus his attention on potions.

Harry rushed out of the library, trying to block out the excited whispering that erupted from a table as he passed by.

"_I didn't ask for this..." _He thought sadly to himself, breaking into a run as soon as he exited the library.

...

"Where was Harry going in such a rush earlier?" Asked Hermione as she sat down with Ron for dinner.

"Huh?" Said Ron stupidly as he shovelled Shepherd's pie into his mouth.

"I saw him running towards the quidditch pitch earlier and I haven't seen him since," She continued, narrowing her eyes at Ron's familiar yet still rather unmannerly eating habits.

"Oh yeah," Said Ron, swallowing thickly, "The groupies again. Stalked us down in the Library. Probably wanting autographs again.

Hermione sighed and took a thoughtful sip of pumpkin juice.

"I'm worried about him you know," She said, her eyebrows furrowed in concern, "I'm sure most guys dream of what he's got. The fame, the girls, the money. But it isn't healthy for him to not have any space. He's going to go insae if this continues."

"Yeah well it's not going to stop anytime soon," Said Ron, failing to keep the jealousy out of his voice this time, "The great Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived. That never gets old Hermione. All girls just throw themselves at him."

"You don't see me throwing myself at him," Huffed Hermione, folding her arms in indignation at Ron's generalism.

"Well you're about the only one then," Said Ron, concealing the grin that threatened to break out after hearing Hermione's words.

"I just wish there was something we could do," Murmured Hermione.

"We could mutilate his face with blunt objects so nobody would recognise him?" Said Ron cheerfully.

"Ever the useful, intelligent advice, Ronald," Said Hermione, rolling her eyes and exasperation.

"I try, I try," Grinned Ron, continuing to eat his pie at an alarming rate, "Don't tell me it wouldn't be effective"

Hermione simply shook her head and helped herself to some food.

"Boys,"She muttered quietly to herself, smirking ever so slightly.

...

Author's Notes: Well it's been a while. I won't go into excuses because none of them are of any interest or value. I hope you enjoy this and I'll try my best to get things running soon. Please read and review!


	4. Mystery meeting

Disclaimer: I own nothing! I own nothing! I own nothing!

...

Harry soared through the air on his trusty Firebolt as darkness began to fall over the grounds. He swooped and dived, looping through the goal posts and whooshing down the pitch at top speeds.

This was the only time he could ever feel truly safe, up in the air, away from the rest of the world. Up in the skies, there were no fickle friends, no desperate girls, no whispers and stares and giggles following him around. Flying was the only place where he wasn't plagued by people, the only place where he was free.

Little did he know that he hadn't quite escaped the stares. He was unaware of a 5th year Gryffindor girl, with flaming red hair gazing at him out of her dormitory window. A small, sad sigh escaping her lips as she watched Harry zoom gracefully around outside, oblivious to her existence.

As Ginny tucked herself into her bed that night, after seeing Harry re-enter the castle half an hour later, she shut her eyes tight, reminding herself that thinking about Harry was pointless. She was just Ginny Weasley, his best friends little sister. No chance of ever getting a second glance from someone like Harry. To him she was just another silly girl out of the thousands that pestered him every day of his life.

She rolled over, blocking out her thoughts, doubting that sleep would relieve her anytime soon.

...

Gryffindor tower was fast asleep as Harry snuck quietly into his dorm. He quickly stowed his broom under his bed and pulled on some pyjama bottoms.

As he shoved his Firebolt out of sight, his enchanted parchment caught his eye. He hadn't given it much thought since it had been given to him. Thinking this Wizardnet was just a gimmicky idea that wouldn't last. However he knew that his late night fly about had left him too pumped up to sleep just yet, so he pulled it out of his trunk and grabbed a quill.

Harry doubted anyone would be awake at this time of night, but he decided to try out the chat thing anyway. Remembering the instructions he had been given, he began to scribble away, cringing slightly at the stupid name Hermione had chosen for him.

_Chat: SnitchBoy-wizardnet_

_Onilne Students: LemondropLover-wizardnet_

_FireGirl-wizardnet_

He was surprised to see any names at all, let alone two. He hadn't been expecting anyone to be online at this time of night.

He put a small tick next to the first name, feeling a little nervous at the prospect of talking to a complete stranger.

_Connected to LemondropLover_

_SnitchBoy: Erm, Hi?_

_LemondropLover: Good evening there._

_SnitchBoy: Ummm, who is this?_

_LemondropLover: Now don't you think that would ruin the fun? As much as I'd like to chat, I'm afraid it is past my bed time. Goodnight Harry._

_LemondropLover is offline_

_SnitchBoy: Hey, wait! How do you know who I am?_

But it was too late; the stranger was gone. He shook his head and pushed any thoughts about this odd person and their love for lemon drops out of his mind. Sighing, Harry crossed out the line that said "_Connected to LemondropLover_", resulting in his parchment being wiped clean.

_Chat: SnitchBoy-wizardnet_

_Online Students: FireGirl-wizardnet_

He was surprised to see the person still online, as the clock on his bedside table was now reading 2.00am.

_Connected to FireGirl_

_SnitchBoy: Hey_

_FireGirl: Oh, Hi._

_SnitchBoy: You're up late_

_FireGirl: Can't sleep. I have a lot on my mind._

_Snitchboy: Me too..._

_FireGirl: Care to share?_

_SnitchBoy: It's not important. Just a bit fed up with the rest of the world._

_FireGirl: I know the feeling. You know what my advice would be?_

_SnitchBoy: Go on..._

_FireGirl: Fuck it. Fuck that. Fuck them._

Harry smiled at the straight talking stranger, liking her blunt way of talking.

_SnitchBoy: You're probably right, I like you're thinking. What about you? What's keeping you awake?_

_FireGirl: I'm not going to bore you to death with my unimportant babble._

_SnitchBoy: I'd like to hear. Maybe I can help?_

_FireGirl: Boy troubles. Enough said._

He took a sharp inhale of breath. He'd learnt over the years that when a girl mentioned "boy troubles", it was best to step back and run very fast in the opposite direction before the ranting could begin. However for some reason, something inside him urged him to remain seated and listen.

_SnitchBoy: What's the problem? A fight with your boyfriend?_

_FireGirl: Boyfriend? Ha! He doesn't even know I exist._

Now this Harry could relate to. He remembered only too clearly back two years ago in his fourth year when Cho Chang had barely noticed him. After their brief 'thing' (it couldn't even be called a relationship), Harry had quickly learned that chasing a girl who wasn't all that interested was a bad idea.

_Snitchboy: Well I highly doubt that. And if he's too absorbed in his own life to notice you then he's probably not worth your time._

_FireGirl: You make it sound so simple..._

_SnitchBoy: That's because it is. Don't waste your time on someone who's not worth it._

_FireGirl: God, you sound so much like one of my close friends. She's the smartest person I know and that's almost exactly what she said._

_SnitchBoy: Yeah, I have a friend like that. She basically puts my life into perspective whenever I'm down._

He thought back to Hermione's sharp words of wisdom when things were bad with Cho. She always knew just what to say and how to say it; a skill Harry felt he would never master.

_FireGirl: Thank you by the way. It's nice to hear someone gets it._

_SnitchBoy: I'm a guy; I know how guy's minds work. I'll let you into a secret..._

_FireGirl: Go on..._

_SnitchBoy: When it comes to girls, we're all completely and utterly clueless. You make us sweaty and confused and we have no idea what to do._

_FireGirl: Hahaha, tell me about it! You should see my brother around girls – he's a total wreck!_

_SnitchBoy: All guys are the same. Some have just learnt the art of hiding the fear!_

_FireGirl: And are you one of those guys?_

_SnitchBoy: And on that bombshell, I better get some sleep._

_FireGirl: I'll take that as a yes! But I'm off to bed too. It was really nice talking to you. You've cheered me up a lot. _

_SnitchBoy: I could say the same, thanks._

_FireGirl: Anytime. We should talk again sometime, I can message you now that I have your M-mail address._

_SnitchBoy: That sounds great. Night night._

Harry signed out and rolled up his parchment, a small smile playing on his lips. He realised that he couldn't remember the last time someone other than Ron or Hermione wanted to have a genuine conversation with him, the real him and not just The Boy Who Lived...

...

Ginny yawned widely and stretched until her limbs ached in protest. She rolled over and flinched as rough parchment met her cheek. Rubbing her eyes a little, Ginny picked up her access to the wizardnet, remembering the stranger from last night.

She couldn't help but feel pleased as she thought about how nice it had been to talk to someone that hadn't immediately labelled her as a Weasley.

She was proud of her family, of course, but she knew that the moment people set eyes on the freckles, red hair and second hand clothes they immediately looked down their nose at her, or even worse pitied her.

But this boy, whoever he was didn't have those preconceived ideas. He just talked to her like an equal, and Ginny couldn't remember the last time a stranger had done that.

Sighing softly, she rolled out of bed and scrambled to get herself together for her morning classes.

...

"What were you doing last night?" Demanded Ron ass he and Harry made their way to potions.

"Hmm?" Mumbled Harry, jumping slightly as he was dragged out of his day dream.

For some reason, he couldn't get the mysterious girl out of his head. Despite not having a clue who she was, he had enjoyed the absence of girlish giggles and autograph demands, being happy with having a normal conversation with a normal person for once. He couldn't remember the last time someone other than Ron or Hermione had shown any interest in the real Harry, rather than the boy who lived.

Not that having a wizardnet chat could particularly count. And anyway, had the girl found out who he really was, Harry supposed she be just as nutty and obsessive as the rest of them.

"I heard you come in late," Ron continued, ignoring Harry's lack of reply, "And you spent ages on that net thing-a-me-bob."

"Thing-a-me-bob?" Harry snorted, smirking at Ron's odd choice of words.

"You know what I mean! Who were you talking to? I haven't even used it yet..."

Harry panicked slightly. He didn't want to tell Ron. He knew he'd just laugh and tell him how lucky he was to have girls chase him all the time. He just didn't get it. Just as he opened his mouth in an attempt to jumble together an excuse, his path was blocked by none other than-

"Hey Harry!" Giggled an annoying girly voice.

Cho Chang. Not on Harry's list of top ten favourite people.

"Oh, Cho," Harry muttered, moving around her, "Hi."

Cho scurried after the two boys as they dodged around her and headed towards the dungeon entrance.

"Awh Harry. You look tired Harry. Everything okay Harry? Didn't you sleep well Harry? I know this charm Harry, that'll put you straight to sleep Harry. Want me to teach it to you Harry?"

"Ermm," Harry said with raised eyebrows at the girl who stood before him, a large, yet slightly creepy, grin plastered onto her face.

Clearly Harry's popularity had had an effect in Cho's opinion of him. His reluctant, unwilling reign over the female population of Hogwarts had lead Cho to believe that following him around like a puppy would result in a return of affection. Well she'd blown her chance last year. Harry wasn't going to make the same mistake twice.

"It's just that I-" Harry began.

"He was up all night on the wizardnet chatting to a girl," Cut in Ron quickly, receiving a grateful glance from Harry, "A hot girl. A really hot girl. Total hottie in fact."

Cho's face dropped to an ugly grimace.

"Oh." She said sharply, before turning on her heel and striding off up the stairs, her nose in the air."

Breathing a sigh of relief at her absence, Harry said, "Thanks mate, I can't stand seeing her these days. How did you know I was talking to a girl by the way?"

Ron's head snapped to the side sharply to face Harry, "You were?" He said, a smug smile slowly growing at his lips, "I just said that to get rid of Cho!"

Harry groaned and sped off towards the dungeons, cursing his clumsy mouth.

"Ohhhh Harry!" Shrieked Ron in an incredibly accurate imitation of Cho's voice, "Harry Harry Harry! Who's the girl Harry? Does she make you feel all squishy Harry? Do you _wuv_ her Harry?"

Harry threw a rude hand gesture over his shoulders to Ron, who was roaring with laughter as he legged it after Harry.

As he blocked out Ron's taunts, he couldn't help but smile that the mystery girl has already brightened his day.

...

Authors Notes: Well I'm very sorry to all you Cho fans, she's not put in the best light for this fic if I'm honest! Next chapter soon hopefully, but I'd love some more reviews, they really encourage me!


	5. The usual reaction

Disclaimer: I own nothing! I own nothing! I own nothing!  
...

_SnitchBoy: ...and then I shoved all the chewing gum inside my cousins new bike helmet. I nearly put my jaw out chewing enough up, but it was worth it when he had to have a chunk of hair cut off! Personally, I thought the bald patch was an improvement..._

Harry smiled as he wrote to FireGirl, enjoying the memories of Dudley's screams of anguish as sticky gum coated his hair.

_FireGirl: No way! On the subject of hair, I reckon I've topped you: I filled my brothers shampoo bottle with hair removal cream, the strong stuff that burns the hair away really quickly, and when he went to wash his hair... bazinga! Bald brother for the next week until he convinced Mum to grow it back for him. Best prank I've ever pulled!_

_SnitchBoy: Hahaha, your poor brother! _

_FireGirl: Trust me, he deserved it. You don't know my brother..._

_SnitchBoy: That bad? _

_FireGirl: When I was twelve he took my favourite teddy, one that I'd won in one of those ridiculously hard muggle machines at arcades where you have to try and grab a prize. Well Dad charmed the machine whilst Mum wasn't looking because I really wanted that teddy (Nobody ever wins on those things anyway!). Mum freaked when she found out... Dad had a limp for a week actually... Well anyway, my brother stole it, cut it in half and pickled it. I woke up to find Mr Pookie's head floating in a jar of vinegar on my bedside table. It was traumatising..._

Harry spluttered in amusement as he read the sentence, admiring the inventiveness of her family's pranks.

_SnitchBoy: You had a teddy called Mr Pookie? _

_FireGirl: Oh shit. Erm... no?_

_SnitchBoy: Nothing to be ashamed of!_

_FireGirl: Bullshit. I'm going to have to judge you if you think a teddy called Mr Pookie is an acceptable form of conversation topic!_

_SnitchBoy: At least you had teddies that you could give, erm... awesome... names to. _

_FireGirl: What do you mean? Everyone has teddies as a kid._

_SnitchBoy: Not me._

Harry stopped himself. What was he doing? He didn't talk about this to anyone, not even Ron and Hermione. Why was he suddenly spilling out about his childhood to this stranger?

_FireGirl: That really sad. Why not?_

He had to stop. He didn't want her pity. He was happy with their light hearted chats. He didn't want to ruin it. For the last week they'd been staying up late just talking about simple nothingness and, to Harry, this real honesty was the highlight of his day. No stares, no giggles, just friendly chatting.

_SnitchBoy: Ignore me. I'm being boring._

_FireGirl: I don't find you boring._

_SnitchBoy: Well you should! I kind of like the idea of being boring._

...

Lounging on her bed in her dormitory, Ginny paused her chat with her mystery boy. _Her_ mystery boy. She had to stop that. She didn't own him. She didn't even know him! But for some reason she felt connected to this guy.

All of these conversations were becoming the one thing she looked forward to all day. One of the few people that didn't see a poor, pitiful Weasley, without really seeing her. Not to mention the fact that he was the only male she could converse with without her several older brothers (or the three that were still at Hogwarts at any rate) absolutely destroying him, and mocking her until she wanted to scream.

She shook her head, ridding herself of her internal rant, and flipped back to the chat. Her eyebrows knitted together slightly as she was filled with confusion. What kind of person actually wanted to be boring?

_FireGirl: What on earth do you mean by that?_

_SnitchBoy: I like blending in. I like the thought of standing in a crowd and not even being noticed._

_FireGirl: Most people spend their lives trying desperately to not blend in. _

_SnitchBoy: Well that's pretty much contrary to the story of my life._

_FireGirl: You're not like most people, are you?_

_SnitchBoy: Believe me, I wish I was._

Ginny's eyebrows furrowed even further. He wasn't making any sense, what was so wrong with mystery boy?

_FireGirl: I don't understand._

_SnitchBoy: Nobody ever does. Let's just say it's nice to talk to someone without the usual reaction._

_SnitchBoy is offline._

Slightly panicked at SnitchBoy's sudden departure, Ginny rolled up her Wizardnet parchment and flung herself back into her soft pillows.

Had she said something wrong? Had she questioned him too much? And what the heck had he meant about 'usual reaction'? What was the 'usual reaction' when people saw him?

Curiosity bubbled in Ginny's stomach as she wondered what he'd been talking about, and whether she'd put him off talking to her again. Squeezing her tired eyes together, she forced herself into a restless sleep.

...

Harry anxiously ran a hand through his untameable jet black hair. As soon as he'd ended his conversation with mystery girl he'd immediately regretted it and looked back on chat, only to find she'd already gone offline. He hadn't wanted to message her, he'd probably annoyed her enough already.

Why had he gone into 'poor ickle Potter' mode? He hated feeling sorry for himself, but sometime he just couldn't help it. He should have just stopped after her story about the pickled teddy, laughed and told her how hilarious she was. How much she made him laugh. He didn't want to ruin their nice chats by making her realise he wasn't... normal.

The 'usual reaction'! Now what would she think of him!

...

Ginny settled down into her seat next to Luna in the damp, dingy dungeons in which her potions class would take place.

Snape glided past her, his greasy locks hanging limply, cloak billowing out behind him, giving him the resemblance of an unhygienic over-sized bat. Ginny stifled a giggle, as he shot her a glare that could cut through her soul.

"Books open," He barked in his harsh, nasal tone, "Page 498. Confusing and Befuddlement Drafts."

There was a scurrying as the class rushed to flick to the correc page.

"Similar properties to a confusing concoction, however not to be confused," He said, his voice low and dangerous, "This is a potion for the...magically challenged... among us. Those who lack the capability to conjure a Confundus charm. Yes, that means you Longbottom."

Neville snivelled slightly in the corner of the room, not even daring to make eye contact with the terrifying Potions Master.

"Unfortunately, being held back a year in your potions class classifies you in to the magically challenged category," Snape smirked as Neville's bottom lip quivered in fear and shame, "I wonder what your Grandmother would say".

Neville mumbled something under her breath about being beaten with a walking stick that resulted in a few sniggers from surrounding Slytherins.

"20 points from Gryffindor," Said Snape smugly.

"What for!" Snapped Ginny aggressively, "He hasn't done anything!"

"Silence Weasley," Snarled the Professor, "The key word you are missing there is 'yet'. He hasn't done anything _yet_. I am merely saving time, as it is certain Longbottom will fail in some way within the hour. Not to worry though, I'll be sure to deduct more if... when it is necessary."

Ginny glared back into Snape's dark, beady eyes. She knew retorting back with a snide comment, or even a well-deserved bat bogey hex would only cause more point loss for Gryffindor.

"If we're quite done, I'd like to know why you all haven't started brewing yet. Get on with it or I'll be deducting more points from all of you," Snape moved quickly to sit behind his desk, conjuring a timer with his wand that immediately starting counting down from one hour, "I think we'll be testing our befuddlement drafts on Longbottom today. Who knows, it might even result in an improvement in his work. I'm quite sure it would be impossible to make it any worse than it already is..."

Neville bowed his head, covering his glowing red cheeks as he set up his cauldron.

"I see he's in one of his sunshine moods today," murmered Ginny glumly as she set about powdering her sneezewort extremely vigorously with her mortar and pestle.

"Isn't he always?" Said Luna as she pounded her sneezewort with aggression almost on level with Ginny's.

"Luna, can I tell you something?" Ginny said reluctantly.

She paused with her powdering, reconsidering for the millionth time whether she was doing the right thing telling Luna about mystery boy. She was finding it impossible to keep him a secret, and she needed some girly advice as to how to handle to situation that arose the other night when her questioning had scared him off.

She poured her finely crushed sneezewort into her cauldron with immediately turned a bright shade of purple. She grabbed her scurvy grass and began chopping it into fine strips, pondering how to explain things to Luna.

"Spit it out Gin," Said Luna, smiling as she focused on tipping her sneezewort neatly into her cauldron, which flickered to a fluorescent orange: A very different colour to Ginny's potion. Ginny shrugged it off, deciding to worry about it later.

"I've using the wizardnet a lot recently," Ginny began slowly, looking at Luna's face for any sign of a reaction.

"I've noticed," Replied Luna, smiling slightly, "You totally ignore the world whenever you use it. You don't even hear me when I try to talk to you."

"Sorry about that," Ginny said, a blush creeping over her cheeks, highlighting the spatter of freckles, "Well, I've been talking to... a guy."

Luna finally looked up, meeting Ginny's eyes, "A boy? Who?"

"That's the hitch; I don't exactly know," Muttered Ginny, ignoring Luna as she rolled her eyes, "All I know is his username."

Luna smiled dreamily and continued to chop her scurvy grass, "And I'm assuming he doesn't know who you are either?"

"Right. It's just that... well we've been talking a lot... and he's kind of different to other guys. You remember when I dated Dean for a bit a few months ago?"

"Of course," Said Luna, a flinch of anger in her eyes, "He was so sleazy to you. I'm glad you're rid of him."

"Me too," Ginny shuddered, remembering the many times Dean tried to push her too far, "Well this guy is odd. He always talks about wanting to 'blend in' and be 'boring'. It's weird."

"Why is that weird?" Said Luna, "Maybe he's just that kind of person. One of the crowd or something..."

The girls both added their scurvy grass before taking their final ingredients, lovage, and started dicing into tiny cubes.

"He mentioned something about how he liked talking to me on the wizardnet, because it meant he didn't get the 'usual reaction'. What could that even mean? And then he just went offline as soon as I started asking!"

Luna stopped dicing her lovage and put down her knife, finally giving Ginny her full attention.

"So he gets a reaction when people see him," She said slowly and thoughtfully, "Maybe he's really ugly?"

"Luna!" Said Ginny indignantly.

"Or mutated... or deformed... or-"

"Luna, I'm sure-"

"Or maybe he's super super hot and people go nuts when they see him?"

Ginny paused, liking this suggestion the most out of Luna's list of possibilities.

"Like a super power!" Continued Luna enthusiastically, "Maybe he's so hot, that people literally lose their minds when they see him. Maybe he's so utterly, scrummily, yummily gorgeous that he-"

Ginny began laughing loudly as Luna continued to get carried away into her dreamland of supernaturally handsome men.

"Miss Weasley," A cold voice sounded behind Ginny, her laughter cutting of as an icy breath froze her light-hearted gigling, "You appear to be finished, or at least you're lack of focus suggests so. I think your potion should be the first for Longbottom to test.

Ginny glanced into her cauldron to see a bubbling, brown mulch solidifying at an alarming rate in the bottom of her cauldron. She shot an apologetic glance at Neville who gulped loudly and turned as white as a ghost.

"Let's see how much you'll be laughing in five minutes Weasley..." Smirked the Professor, and Ginny slouched down into her chair, wishing the floor would swallow her up.

...

Author's Notes: Right, well it's been a while... again. Sorry about that... I seem to have no time at the moment! I hope you enjoy this chapter, please please review! It really motivates me. Next chapter there will be some bitchy plotting, plans for a party, and lots of shenanigans!


	6. Oh mein gott!

Disclaimer: I own nothing! I own nothing! I own nothing!

...

Harry and Ron made their way across the damp spongy grass towards the castle, after an extremely tricky Herbology class of pruning the venomous tentacula plants – an activity which neither the class, nor the plants appeared to particularly enjoy. The vicious plants had put up a good fight, leaving scratches and cuts on every student who dared approach.

Trying to stem the flow of blood that dripped steadily from his arm, Harry debated silently whether or not to discuss mystery girl with Ron. He desperately needed some friendly advice, but he just wasn't sure Ron was up to the job. It had taken days before Ron had quit taunting him over Cho, and Harry knew he'd have a field day over this turn of events.

"Ron, I need to talk to you about something," He blurted out finally, "It's-"

But he was cut off as a terrified looking Neville sprinted towards them, looking utterly confused and panicked.

"Harry, hilfe!" Panted Neville desperately, "Oh mein Gott! Sie machen mir es trinken!"

Harry and Ron both exchanged utterly bewildered glances.

"Neville, what are you-"

But Neville was in a frenzied state and continued babbling.

"Je ne peux pas parler anglais. Qu'est-ce qui se passe?"

"Neville!" Ron bellowed, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him, "Snap the hell out of it! What's happened to you?"

"No puedo controlarme", Neville's voice was becoming shriller by the second, "Snape me hizo beber de él. Yo no quería."

"Snape?" Ron said, "What has he done? I was never good at languages... let alone when it's switching every bloody second!"

"Trovare Hermione! Lei mi può aiutare."

"Right well I don't have a bloody clue what he's blabbing about," Said Ron, brushing past a tearful Neville, "What were you saying, Harry?"

"Ermm, shouldn't we-" Began Harry gesturing towards the panic stricken boy who still continuously babbled in several different languages..

"Nahhh, he'll be fine said Ron," Dragging Harry away towards the castle, "Someone will find him...eventually."

Harry reluctantly followed, glancing back at poor Neville who was already running after a petrified looking first year, who dropped his books and headed straight in the opposite direction at top speed.

"Umm... anyway," Continued Harry, shaking his head, "I need to talk to you... about... well you know I've been on that wizardnet chat thing a lot?"

"Oh jeez," Said Ron, snorting in amusement, "You're not still on it with that girl are you? After the whole Cho encounter when I bailed you out I thought you'd left it!"

"We just talk, that's all," Replied Harry defensively, speeding up and walking ahead of Ron.

If Ron was just going to take the piss, there was simply no point in talking to him. He pushed his way through the enormous doors and made his way to the great hall for lunch.

Ron jogged to keep up with him, shouting out amused apologies until he finally caught up with Harry as he sat down for lunch at the Gryffindor table.

"You speedy bastard," Ron muttered, sliding onto the bench next to Harry."

"Are you going to stop being a prat now?" Harry asked, helping himself to a sandwich.

"Yup," Replied Ron, helping himself to several sandwiches and tucking in straight away, "So what's with this girl then?"

"Well that's just it, I don't know. I don't even know her real name, just her username – FireGirl: What does that even mean? I just know that she's... well she's different. She's not like the crazy groupie girls. She's-"

"Well of course, you met her on the wizardnet" Said Ron, as though it was obvious, "That's because she doesn't know who you are. As soon as you mention the words ' .lived' she'll go psycho-bitch like the rest of them."

"I don't think so..." Murmured Harry, "She's pretty down to earth. And she's really funny too; she tells me all these stories of pranks she played on her brother, though by the sounds of it he deserved it! She makes me laugh and... what... why are you staring at me?"

Ron has stopped pigging out and was giving Harry a very odd look.

"You like her," It was more of a statement than a question.

"What? I.. No.. Ummm," Harry felt incredibly uncomfortable and awkward. He suddenly didn't want to discuss mystery girl anymore.

"Harry?" Said Hermione curiously as she sat down opposite the boys, "Why in the name of Merlin is your face such an alarming shade of red?"

Harry ducked his head under the table, to pick up some imaginary cutlery in an attempt to avoid Hermione's scrutinising stares.

"Well basically," Began Ron, "Harry's gone loo-la over some gir– OUCH!"

Harry emerged from under the table after shooting a sneaky stinging hex at Ron's leg. He glared at his best friend for not being able to hold his secret for even five minutes.

"What the bloody hell was that for?" Ron exclaimed loudly, rubbing his painful leg.

Harry rolled his eyes, murmured a quick goodbye to the pair before retreating to Gryffindor Tower, so as to avoid any further embarrassment.

"Oh Ron," Said Hermione in exasperation, "You really need to learn the art of tactics and discretion."

"Well it's not my fault he's a moody, unpredictable hormone bag of teen angst!" Muttered Ron, holding back a grin, "Must be his time of the month."

Hermione sighed, wondering not for the first time how such a silly buffoon could make her feel so much affection.

She shook her head and, for the sake of Harry's dignity (whatever the matter was), changed the subject.

...

Little did Harry and Ron realised that their conversation before Hermione's appearance had been a little less private than they had planned.

Sitting close by at the Ravenclaw table, Cho Chang got up, having heard every word the two boys had said, headed out, a sly, victorious smile spreading slowly across her pretty face.

Her mind was already flicking through multiple plans as to how to use this information. This time, she would make things go _her_ way, on _her_ terms.

...

"If I couldn't have your attention for a minute Gryffindors," Said Hermione as she stood on a chair in the common room, trying to get the attention of the rest of her house, "I have an announcement I need to make."

Not for the first time, the majority of people ignored her, and continued with their evening activities.

For the second time within a few months, Ron stood up from his favourite squishy armchair, abandoning his and Harry's game of wizard chess, stuck his thumb and forefinger in his mouth and emitted an ear-splitting whistle that had every groaning, but paying attention none-the-less.

Fred and George open their mouths to mock Ron's galance for Hermione once again, but Hermione silenced them with a flick of her wand before they could coo their first 'awwwh'. The twins sat down dejectedly, shooting evils at Hermione.

"Thanks Ron," Muttered Hermione gratefully, "As you know, Christmas holidays begin next week, and I know most of you will be going home. But I've been told to announce the New Years Eve party will be taking place when you all come back."

"Hogwarts NYE parties always suck ass though!" Said Lavender loudly, grabbing everyone's attention, "Last year everyone left before it was even midnight! I was in bed by 10pm"

"She's right, it really did suck ass" Agreed Parvatie, "Last year was beyond boring. So was the year before _and_ the year before _and _the year before_ and_ -"

"Okay we get the message," Snapped Hermione, drawing Gryffindor Towers attention back to the point, "Well this year, Professor Dumbledore has taken previous celebrations and their 'ass sucking' into consideration to make this year different."

A few people paid closer attention now. No true Gryffindor missed out on a good reason to have a party.

"This year, the Hogwarts social committee have organised-"

"I didn't know we even had a social committee..." Muttered Parvatie.

"Well we do so shut up!" Snarled Hermione, causing Parvatie to jump and blush deeply, "As I was saying, the social committee have suggested we have a masked party in the style of our founders in remembrance and celebration of their achievements. That means we'll have old fashioned, periodic decorations around the great hall, and you are all to come in dress robes according to the time."

"Ohhh it'll be like a fairytale!" Squealed Parvatie, unable to contain herself.

A few Gryffindors moaned at the theme, detesting the cheesiness it emitted.

"There is a rule however; masks must not be taken off until midnight. Once your mask is on, and you've entered the Great Hall, a charm will come into place and you will be unable to remove your mask unless there is the case of emergency. Oh and one more thing," Continued Hermione through the excited chatter of the crowd," Dumbledore's booked the Weird Sisters to play. After all, we have to have some modern aspects!"

Hermione hopped down from the chair, enjoying the excitement she'd caused, before remembering she had one more announcement to make in request from Professor McGonagall.

"Oh and one last thing," She said loudly, "Neville Longbottom was found hiding in greenhouse six earlier today in rather a bad condition. It would appear he has taken some form of potion that has had an odd affect on him. I would like to ask anybody who is fluent in German, French, Spanish and Italian to please step forward and visit the hospital wing asap. Madam Pomfrey is having some trouble with...erm... translations.

Ginny shifted uncomfortably in her seat whilst Ron and Harry exchanged guilt glances.

"It is rather an emergency, Neville is rather distressed. It would appear he was unaware of his multilingual skills until today..."

A few giggles erupted, as a rather pompous looking 4th year stood up and started striding towards the hospital wing, mumbling something under his breath about his talents finally being appreciated.

"Pompous bastard," Muttered Ron under his breath, sticking a foot out in a failed attempt to trip the boy up, "Neville doesn't stand a chance!"

...

In the darkness of the night, a light illuminated a window high up in a tower of Hogwarts castle. In the Gryffindor 6th year boys dormitory, Harry Potter sat on his bed, wide awake scribbling away at his wizardnet parchment, having finally made a decision that had been bugging him for days. It was time to step up, and go to the one person who always had answers.

In an identical situation, just a few metres away, Ginny Weasley also sat up at her desk in the 5th years girls dormitory, writing as quickly as she could on her enchanted paper to the friend she knew could settle her mind. She had finally decided to go to the one person who always gave the right advice.

...

The next morning, Hermione was deep in a dream about baking her favourite banana-pecan muffins with her mother at home. The oven was beeping relentlessly, signalling that her treats were cooked to perfection. But the beeping was getting louder. No matter how many times Hermione stopped the over timer, the beeping persisted and got louder and louder and louder and-

"AGHH!" Yelped Hermione as she jolted awake, hitting her head on the bedpost.

Sharp pain shot through her head as she rubbed her bleary eyes, utterly bewildered as to why she could still hear a beeping sound. She grumbled, remembering the almost-smell of those delicious muffins.

She sat up slowly, and finally noticed her wizardnet parchment on her bedside table, bleeping continuously to alert her of a new m-mail message.

"Stupid technology," She muttered under her breath, wrapping herself in her fluffy dressing gown.

Picking up the parchment, she tapped it with her wand to relieve the infuriated noise, and saw she had two new notifications, which she read speedily.

_To: Bookworm-wizardnet_

_From: SnitchBoy-wizardnet_

_Hermione,_

_I've been thinking about this for ages, and to put it bluntly: Ron is shit with advice, and you're one of my best friends (the only one who hasn't got the prat gene). I met a girl on the wizardnet chat (don't rant at me about the dangers of the wizardnet – I'm a big boy and I can handle myself!). _

_In a nutshell, she's great. She's funny, down to earth and she's not a mentalist like the rest of the girls out there. Only catch is, I have no idea who she is, and I don't know what to do. Do I come straight out and ask her who she is, or will that scare her off? Or am I just being downright stupid obsessing over some girl I've never met?_

_Help me oh mighty know-it-all! You're my only hope for sanity!_

_Harry_

_To: Bookworm-wizardnet_

_From: FireGirl-wizardnet_

_Hermione_

_I know we're not super close, but ever since you've been friends with Ron, you always told me if I needed some girl-time then I could come to you. Well that time has come. Before you start ranting about WN safety, I know what I'm doing. I met a guy on wizardnet chat. An awesome guy. A guy that makes me feel like the ten year old me, blushing over a silly crush. A guy that... well I don't exactly know. _

_I can't ask him who he is; he seems like the kind of person who finds it hard to let people in. What should I do? Should I stop talking to him and find a guy who I can have a face to face conversation with? Or is this special, something I should hold on to? _

_You're the only girl I can ask about this. Luna... well she thinks the wizardnet pixel pixies have infested my mind and tries to purify me with fire whenever I mention it... please help!_

_Ginny_

Hermione smiled at her two friends, not taking two seconds to do the maths and put 2 + 2 together. Luckily for Hermione, numbers were one of her many strong points and she immediately drafted out a reply that could be sent to both Harry and Ginny, making sure to make the recipients private so neither would recognise the username.

_To: SnitchBoy-wizardnet; FireGirl-wizardnet_

_From: Bookworm-wizardnet_

_Right, here goes..._

_Firstly, don't just assume I'll go into a 'rant' about wizardnet safety! I'm merely going to point out that despite the chat system allows Hogwarts residents only to communicate, it can still be risky. You have no idea who you're talking to, and you can never be too careful!_

_Now that's over with, I'm so happy to hear that you've finally found someone that you think you could take a chance with. You've not exactly had the best luck so far... _

_My duties as a prefect say that I'm to advertise and encourage as many students as I can to attend the New Year's Eve party after the holidays, so why not ask this mystery person to meet you at the party. It'll be a big crowd (safety in numbers!) and you'll be wearing masks so you won't have to jump straight in to a face to face conversation! Personally, I think it would be a good step to take._

_Anyway, I'm glad you have so much faith in my advice, but all I can say would be don't get your hopes up. Remember, this person could be anybody._

_Hermione_

Quickly sending the message with a tap of her wand, Hermione nodded to herself, admiring her skills in writing one letter to apply to both recipients.

"_Ron's_ _really not going to be pleased about this..."_ She thought to herself, smiling ever so slightly at the thought of Ron finding out his best friend and his little sister were in the middle of a new-age, technological romance.

...

Back in their individual dormitories, both Harry and Ginny both rolled their eyes simultaneously at Hermione's consistent ability to put things into perspective so easily.

They set about getting ready for morning classes, an identical smile playing at both of their lips, representing their upcoming plans.

...

Authors Notes: I will apologise now for the floods of abuse at the horrific use of foreign language at the start of this chapter! I have very limited language skills, so I simply used an online translator. It is not key to the plot, and I'm aware it will probably be inaccurate, but it is not all that important. Anyway, Neville had just taken a befuddlement draft – not wonder his language skills were a little off! Enjoy my lovelies, and please review!


End file.
